Selwyn concludes today’s study with these words: “At the start of a new year, let me ask you: What kind of person are you? Creek-minded or ocean-minded? Decide right now that you are going to accept all the plans God has for you. You are going to be an ocean-minded Christian who (lets go) of the little, in order to reach out for the big.”

I found myself smiling when I read today’s study, as I could not take on-board the imagery of the Moffatt translation of Judges 5:17, which Selwyn used. 

In the New Living Translation, the same verse reads as follows: “Gilead remained east of the Jordan. And why did Dan stay home? Asher sat unmoved at the seashore, remaining in his harbors.”

We can become so comfortable with what we have, to the extent that we don’t want to place the little we have, at risk.

Jesus, will often ask us to follow Him across a wide, unknown ocean and place our entire future into His hands. To leave behind our comfortable sanctuary, to sail out of our safe harbour, and place ourselves into uncharted waters. It’s an act of faith to allow ourselves to depend entirely on His perfect love.

In this new year, perhaps it’s a call that many of us, will hear. Willyou, leave the little behind (your safe harbour), to work in God’s harvest field –  somewhere over the horizon?

I think that a few verses, taken from those, set for reading and meditation – provide an excellent summary of today’s study.

1 John 2:15-17 (NLT): “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

The last verse calls on us to do what pleases God – it is not the other way around,  such that we do what we please, and then ask God to bless it!

The other part of today’s study which I found to be  very good, is Selwyn’s useful summary of our possible responses to the pull of social pressures: “Since the herd is a powerful driving force, what are we to do about it? There are four possible attitudes we can take: (1) withdraw from it, (2) defy it, (3) succumb to it, (4) overcome it. If we withdraw from it we become antisocial and disengaged. If we constantly defy it we breed defensiveness and antagonism. If we succumb to it then we are no longer a voice but an echo. The only way for a Christian to overcome the pull of the herd is by being totally committed to God.”

It’s important to never lose sight of the fact that Jesus loves us, He knows the sorts of pressure we live with; and, if we approach Him, seeking help to find the right balance, for our interaction with this world – He will help and guide us. We don’t have to go through each day – relying on our own strengths.

Last night, I was listening to a talk given byDr. Michael Youssef (Leading The Way, Christian Radio ministry). One of the things he said is worth repeating here – the importance of spending time with God each day; he found that spending time worshiping, and giving praise to God in the morning was like an offering of ‘first fruits’, in regard to his planned daily activities. 

In Romans 1:21, we read what evil people do, therefore the opposite, is what we should do: (the reverse of Romans 1:21): “We know God, we glorified Him as God and gave thanks to Him, so that our thinking becomes productive and our wise hearts become full of His light.” The practice of putting God first, and starting each day, re-affirming our total commitment to God – helps us to enter the world with our eyes focused on Jesus – making it harder for the pressures of this world to divert our attention away from God. What do you think?

To be honest, I didn’t get a lot out of today’s study.

Selwyn continues his discussion on the dangers of following the trends in our society; especially when they are in conflict with the spiritual truths, that are written on our hearts and recorded in Scripture.

However, the following statements, were good: “… We are not to go against the herd simply out of a desire to be different, but we must have the mortal courage to stand alone if necessary and be willing to be in the minority. … The herd may contribute to our life, but it must not determine our life.”

We are in this world to be God’s ambassadors – to be a light at the top of a hill – a light, which leads people to look towards Jesus. In addition, we are not called to separate ourselves from others – we are not called, to live in exclusive compounds, totally separated from the rest of the ‘ouside’ world. We are to preach the ‘Good News’ by our actions and words, by being part of this world. Do you agree?

As Selwyn states in today’s study; we have a need to live with others – to be part of a community. This need is fully met when we live in a community which is aligned with God’s purposes.

Our first loyalty is to God, then to family and community - if our community is leading us away from God then it’s impossible to compromise. It’s simple, we can’t be in two places at once – a choice has to be made. If you follow the world’s ways, as illustrated in the media (e.g., TV and the Internet), then you are putting distance between yourself and God.

Today’s verses contain some things to think about Exodus 23:2-9 (NLT): ‘ ” …  You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong.

When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.

If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.

In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.

Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent. Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.

You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.” ‘

The last verse would be a challenge for many, especially in those areas where there has been an influx of ‘foreigners’. You can see the Spirit of Jesus at work, in the Old Testament; God has not changed – our God of love, is also a God of justice.

The last few days I’ve found Selwyn’s writing to be excellent. Again, I liked his conclusion: ” … most people look around (at what the rest of their herd is doing) before they act. But in reality they don’t act – they react. They are echoes, not persons with voices. You have three choices: you can be self-centred, herd-centred or Christ-centred. Choose to be Christ-centred, no matter what the cost.”

There will be a cost, there’s no escaping this fact – Jesus carried His cross; and, if we are really following Him, we will too.

The other part of today’s study, which I liked, is this excerpt from the verses set for reading and meditation, Acts 2:38-40(NLT): ” … Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles – all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” … “

The generation you are living in, is a crooked generation, it has strayed from the straight path as walked by Jesus. You cannot follow their ways as well as following Jesus – that’s impossible; it’s your choice which path you will try to follow during your daily walk.

I thought that Selwyn wrote a great conclusion to today’s study: “You will not grow spiritually unless, when necessary, you are willing to reject the opinion of the majority. In Gethsemane Jesus was alone. At a short distance were His disciples, and further away a large crowd sent by the chief priests and the elders [Matthew 26:47].

If you desire to be one of the multitude you might find yourself in the crowd farthest from Jesus. Alone, you are with Him.”

In general, those who believe the core truths of the Bible, and live their lives in accordance with these truths, are in the minority. [Matthew 22:14 - 'For many are invited, but few are chosen.']

In the Gospels, Jesus talks about eternal punishment quite a lot – in fact, it’s a central theme of a lot of His ‘preaching’.

Consequently, it’s very odd that it’s not mentioned that much by the religious teachers of our day.

Let’s start with a definition of hell: it is the eternal separation from God. Therefore, there’s no love there – everyone hates each other. I mention that as my first point, because I once heard a person say, ‘I don’t mind going to hell, all my friends will be there.’ I’m sorry to say – there are no ‘friends’ in hell. There is no companionship to be found among the suffering.

There is no peace in hell – there is constant and never-ending chaos; there is no joy, no laughter, and no one smiles. In hell, I believe, there is eternal darkness, the light of God never enters it. Hell is made complete in that after death, each person meets God and feels His perfect peace and love – it’s the time, when the purpose of their life becomes totally clear. Those who hear the words, ‘ … depart from Me …’,  will fully understand their loss; and, this knowledge will burn in their heads, like hot coals. Could a loving God condemn people to such a terrible existence? Yes – because He is also our God who executes perfect justice. ‘The wicked will be punished’ – is a theme found throughout Scripture.

Does the concept of hell worry you?

I liked this comment made by Selwyn in today’s study: “Mention of hell may be omitted from many pulpits today, but it is not omitted from the Bible. And what about heaven? The concept of heaven is not so much disappearing as being broadened – broadened to include everyone who dies, whether or not they have had a personal relationship with Jesus.”

One, of the prime reason behind why I write this material, is the thought I have about family or friends – being separate from God’s love, forever!

[As I was writing this post, there was a blackout in my area, so I had to wait for awhile until I could finish it. Consequently, I starting to think about the impact of not having electrical power, and the associated 'loss of light'.  It was a mildly annoying interruption to my work. However, a massive  change to my life would occur - if the power was never switched back on! But nothing compared to the consequences of not having God in my life.]